I'm not sure to what extent Italian coffees are making/have made their way into the American market, so I can't say if any of this will be useful. Anyway Izzo Gold is a brand to look out for. In my opinion it's much better than Illy, Segafredo or Lavazza and quite a few others to boot. If you see it, only go for the 1 kilo tin as it's the only offering that is nitrogen flushed. They say it will keep the coffee good for 3 years and I believe them. I got a tin that had been roasted 5 months ago and it was incredibly fresh. They actually recommend that you open it 24 hours before use. I can confirm that this makes a big difference - in a good way. I opened it and immediately froze all that I could not use within a few days.

I can only compare this coffee to what I've tried in the UK. To me it has a richness and a complexity that I've just not tasted from UK roasters. UK coffee, even the best, seems a bit flat and dimensionless by comparison. But then I like milk drinks,and a lot of fancy roasts really require that you drink them as espresso.

To make it use the normal 14g; the temperature should be at the high end of the scale. I flush and the second the boiling is finished I lock and load. I also go toward ristretto as improperly handled this coffee will taste sour.